Mortal Kombat is one of the most popular and recognizable franchises in gaming today. The franchise has a dedicated fanbase that still grows with each new iteration, especially after the success of Mortal Kombat 11. Fan-made art, cosplays, and other content have naturally been a big part of the Mortal Kombat community for a long time, and sometimes fan projects can seem as well-polished as anything movies or other adaptions can muster. Uppercut Editions' Kombat Kompendium is a testament to that possibility. Uppercut Editions reached out to provide Game ZXC with a few pre-release images that have previously only been made available to Kickstarter backers.
Uppercut Editions has been working on a comprehensive "Kombatpedia" for more than six years, and the Kickstarter for the Kombat Kompendium just drew to an end. At this point, the project has raised nearly $75,000 in order to produce the love letter to the history of Mortal Kombat. Many fans of Mortal Kombat will eat up any new media that comes their way, and the success of MK11 as well as is recent theatrical release have helped put the Kombat Kompendium in a good space, with many fans who are interested in the kind of deep dive the book is attempting to offer.
Celebrating the Legacy of Mortal Kombat
The main thing the Kombat Kompendium is trying to accomplish is to be a premier source of lore and behind-the-scene information about the games' histories. In essence, it is a real-life Krypt in an easy-to-digest coffee table book format. The book is looking to explore all the Mortal Kombat games with concept art, official images, and even fan art coming from across the decades-long history of the franchise. The book has some strong production value behind it that can be seen in a preview video Uppercut Editions has put together on its Kickstarter page.
It's important to note that the project is unofficial and not associated with Warner Bros., and as such isn't an official Mortal Kombat product. But the book is clearly a love letter to the game and the deep history behind it. Looks at the expansive roster of Mortal Kombat characters include art and backstory from each version of the franchise's canon. Mortal Kombat has rebooted its lore more than a few times, so an elaborate look at the series' history is in-and-of-itself a daunting task. It seems like Kombat Kompendium is doing its best with that task.
With NetherRealm Studios moving on from MK11 and its DLC, it will likely be a long time before a new Mortal Kombat project gets announced. The team is probably working on the next game in the Injustice series, or a rumored new Marvel IP. That being said, it could be a good time for fans to catch up with everything that's come before, and the Kombat Kompendium is offering one way to do that.
Fan-made projects can be hit-or-miss endeavors, so some will be reticent about an unlicensed project. But it seems clear from the images made available by the book's creators, and the confidence present in the Kickstarter preview video, that Uppercut Editions are more than a group of casual fans. Mortal Kombat has a huge roster of characters, exotic locations, and a deep backstory to explore. Fans that like to have physical expressions of their love for the franchise should be interested in checking out the upcoming Kombat Kompendium.
Kombat Kompendium recently hosted a Kickstarter, and is looking to release by the end of the year.
Source: Kickstarter